Entry Word: threatening

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 giving signs of immediate occurrence <economists warning of a threatening recession> — see imminent 1
2 being or showing a sign of evil or calamity to come <a threatening silence followed the loud thump in the adjoining motel room> — see ominous
3 involving potential loss or injury <threatening rocks lined that narrow stretch of the river through which we would be rafting> — see dangerous